Motivated Clelin Ferrell stars for Clemson’s defense against Duke
No. 2 Clemson got off to a rough start defensively Saturday night against Duke in Memorial Stadium.
The Tigers gave up 127 yards and six points in the first quarter. After that, Clemson raised its level of play and held the Blue Devils to 135 yards the rest of the way and no touchdowns.
One of the reasons for the turnaround was the superior play of defensive end Clelin Ferrell, who said the defense’s night mirrored his career.
He said he had some tough times as a freshman before improving greatly throughout his career. Saturday night, he recorded two sacks to reach 10 1/2 for the season.
“I wanted to go out and play well for my mom,” said Ferrell, who finished with five tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and one pass breakup. “My dad is looking down on me so I definitely wanted to put on a good performance for them.”
It was an emotional night for the redshirt junior. He was recognized pregame with the winningest senior class in school history just in case he decides to turn pro at the end of the season.
But it was also Military Appreciation Day, and Ferrell comes from an Army family. His mother and late father both served, as well as a couple of his brothers.
His father was remembered by Clemson during the pregame ceremonies.
“That’s something he took a lot of pride in,” Ferrell said. “It meant a lot to my family for sure.”
And he had quite the crowd in attendance. Ferrell said typically a mixture of three family members make the trip to every Clemson home game, but Saturday, around 10 people showed up to support him.
“It meant a lot and it kind of gave me a clear mind for the game,” he said. “I was really excited.”
And he didn’t disappoint. Ferrell spent much of the second and third quarters in the backfield and harassing Duke QB Daniel Jones, who was sacked four times. It’s the third time this season and fifth time in his career that Ferrell’s had two sacks in a game.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said he was pleased with how Ferrell and the senior class handled an emotional night.
Defensive coordinator Brent Venables said Ferrell played Saturday like he practices every game.
“He’s an alpha dog,” Venables said. “Loves to compete, loves to play...loves to have pressure on him.”
Ferrell wouldn’t say after the game if the final regular season contest against South Carolina next Saturday is his last home game.
Ferrell was eligible to enter the NFL draft as season ago after he posted 9 1/2 sacks but made a decision to return and play alongside defensive linemen Christian Wilkins, Austin Bryant and Dexter Lawrence. They have formed a formidable front that has been the catalyst for holding teams under 13 points per game this season.
He said he could “possibly” be wrapping up his Clemson career soon, but he said people can’t assume it’s a done deal.
“It’s a decision I have to make,” Ferrell said. “I haven’t made that decision yet.”
Hyatt sets Clemson mark
Clemson senior left tackle Mitch Hyatt made his 53rd career start Saturday to break former kicker Chandler Catanzaro’s school record for career starts.
Hyatt reached the milestone a week after leaving the Boston College game with a stinger injury. Swinney said Hyatt didn’t practice much during the week but made it through the Duke game just fine.
More milestones
▪ Clemson reached 11-0 in 2018 with the 35-6 victory, matching the same record accomplished by the 1948, 1981 and 2015 squads.
“They’ve been playing football at Clemson a long, long time and this is the fourth 11-0 team in history,” Swinney said. “I don’t care what school it is, there’s not many 11-0 teams in the history of the school, a handful, if any, at most universities. What an accomplishment for our guys.”
▪ The Clemson seniors also notched their 51st victory, which set an ACC record for most wins by a senior class. The previous mark was set by the 2017 Tigers. The 2018 seniors also became the first to win 30 regular-season conference games.
▪ Clemson’s 8-0 ACC record represents the seventh time a Tiger program has been perfect in league play.